Intergenerational and Transnational Volunteering, canadian way

For 5 years now, I am volunteering with a soooo wonderful group (www.iciela.org). First years were mainly youngs 20+, but now, some other ladies 50+ joined. It became a real passion for us.

We weekly discuss on the phone with partners ladies in a small village in Africa who prepare sheabutter that we are beginning to sell for them here. We also have school wokshops on cultural differences /similarities to improve understanding for today and tomorrow. We prepare the content with teachers in Africa and South Am. and after the workshop in both countries, students exchange their views in letters. And we hold public events on social issues here and abroad or on non-touristic aspects of a country, with speakers, meals, entertainment and direct discussion over videoconference with people in those countries.

Our helpful experience is highly respected and taken into account by the younguer members and we learn a lot from their acute uptodate knowledge. We are a great family, always looking forward for the next meeting. We celebrate a lot among active members, even after those nights spent altogether preparing reports, financial appeal or the coming event! (We call them our Blitzs). That gives me a feeling of great usefulness and positive human relationships. That does not bring me a single penny, but that pushes me to always move ahead, with a smiling mind.

ou will not understand by visiting our site because it is not yet in English ($$ !!) but there is an English text and video with my son (who created the group after returning from Africa) in a section intended for a contest we are now in till Sunday (proposing a café for us and foreiing partners) :
http://www.fondscommunautaireaviva.org/ideas/acf4625

I wish every 50+ ladies could join such a group. It could be one of the best steps of a lifetime, once all the kids have gone and the career is over or not as challenging as it used to be…   (Sorry for my English mistakes…)

FlaLou, Montréal, Canada

)